The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) on February 19 announced the approval of two solar energy projects located near the Nevada-California border. The projects are expected to supply 550 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power about 170,000 homes, and support more than 700 jobs through construction and operations. The first project - the 300-megawatt Stateline Solar Farm Project - will be built in San Bernardino County, California, on approximately 1,685 acres of public land located within two miles of the California-Nevada border. Using photovoltaic panels, the facility will generate enough electricity to power approximately 90,000 homes and create an estimated 400 jobs during construction and 12 permanent jobs during operations. The facility will connect to the grid via a 2.7-mile, 220-kilovolt transmission line. The second project is the 250-megawatt Silver State South Solar Project located near Primm, Nevada, on approximately 2,400 acres of public land. The facility is expected to power approximately 80,000 homes and will be located adjacent to the 50-megawatt Silver State North Project, the first solar plant on public lands to deliver power to the grid. Silver State South will also use photovoltaic panels and will generate an estimated 300 jobs during construction and 15 permanent operations jobs. Both projects are proposed by the company First Solar and have commitments from Southern California Edison to purchase the projects - electricity for 20 years. See the DOI press release.